THE J. C. WILLIAMSON COMPANY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16508, 7 October 1915, Page 6

THE J. C. WILLIAMSON COMPANY

"THE MAN WHO STAYED AT HOME." V One of the greatest difficulties with .which the dramatist is faced is probably to strike new ideas, and a freah subject upon which •to exercise his talente. It id seldom that he manages to elude the hero, heroine, and villain of tho stereotyped kind, and to make their fortunes, misfortunes, love 3, and hates the foundation upon which he builds. Circumstances, incidents, complications, and momentous events occasionally , bring relief, and offer suggestions to his mind, and the. dramatist. who is keenly' alive to such opportunities and has: .the; ability to turn them to good account very frequently produces something that is re"freshing and compels succes?. . Even a . great international' Struggle, such as that at present convulsing the civilised . world, 'affo«d» r openings for the play writer, a fact that has been seized upon by, Messrs Lechmere Worrall and J. E. Harold Terry, with the result' that they have jointly, produced "The Man ; Who Stayed at Home,* a three-act comedydrama of the best class; The one word "spydom" would more accurately describe' the motif of tne; play; German espionage' and German intrigue, concerning which bo ■ much has been heard during the last .14 months, being really the corner stone of ; the structure.' ; The play is exceptionally cleverly written for stage production, and, serious though the matters are that are dealt with, there is a goodly leavening oi humour of an original and highly diverting character. The story presented, is intensely . interesting and even fascinating; aiid the interest is accentuated, by. the faot that tho story deals so directly with a system that is intolerable and is deprecated, on; all hands, The methods of espionage that may be adopted are very cleyerly illustrated, and ■ the suggestions offered with regard to these .do not boar an imp'robable or impossible complexion. . The characters are admirably drawn, and in some instances ,'are.wonder- • fully true to life. . There are.fewwho-have not occasionally met the prototype of John Preston, a very vigorous, 1 outspoken "old Britisher,; who is prepared to' - shootV'" at sight" anyone w;Ko is a 'mere; •'susp'ect."The play, is extremely well put 'on .the stage, there being nothing lacking, even-to the smallest detail, to ensure a sucocssful •production; and the mechanical effects are ' quite remarkable for.' their' realism. "The Man Who, Stayed at Home" is Christopher Brent, a man who app6ar§ to . the outside world, to be weak, frivolous, and brainless, but who ia in reality_ the antithesis of this. He is much twitted wiih the profound indifference heexhibits ae to his country's welfare, and his disinclination' to .volunteer;for active service... The audience is,- however,,let;! into tho - secret of his presumed , cowardice, which. is that he is, heart. .and soul engaged . in.. getting rid of his' country's enemies at home instead of those -abroad, and at tie time the story opens he is busy. - unmasking ■Fraulein Schroeder, Fritz, Mrs Sanderson, and her son, Carl Sanderson, who, are. playing a deep game in thel interests of-Ger-many in the Wave Crest Hotel, England. •, In this he is assisted bv.. Miriam Leigh,, who is' somewhat of a mystery to thioso residing.' in' Mis Sanderson's private hotel, iimong them •is John Preston, M.P., and . his daughter Molly, between whom and Brent there is an • attachment." Brent, as will be understood. / appears to his friends and sweetheart in a very unfortunate light, and is totally unable to make any explanation as to • his apparent shirking. He : is ■ offered a white feather, by an' enthusiastic loyalist named Daphne Kidlington, . but even that does not disturb .his 'equanimity. T-le. treats what amounts to an affront very lightly, and Uses the feather as a 'pipe , cleaner. / Matters, however,' bepome serious with him as the play proceeds, :and he is assailed from two quarters. Hfe pro6peotive father-in-law calls upon/him ;with hia customary vigour andaggressivehess to relinquish ..all claim to Mollyj, and Molly bocomes jealous, of Miriam Leigh. He is still unable to explain his , position,' and.. con- . tinues his secret service '-work ..with unabated zeal. A carrier pigeon, destined' to carry a message to the enemy, ;is shotby him, ■. a secret wireless installation disc6vered> by him, and by v-arious means_ he and Miriam Leigh became possessed of information that makes it clear that this four conspirators ■ are in communication with the: enemy with : • the object of hiving a German, submarine . in British waters to' sink a itreinsportvoon- . yeying troops to_ the front: The little, plot is foiled, and in place of the transport, the submarine meets with-, two British . cruisers, the result 'of vthe meeting being left to the imagination; and Carl does not get the "Iron Cross"' a doting mother anticipates he will, receive. . Fritz, the waiter, gets shot by a , sentry—Percival Penniouik—and the two female conspirators are handed over to justice. There is no longej; an occasion for Brent to.disguise the truth., and he« is, relievedofth'e odium he has never deserved: There ore many very . interesting' incidents transpiring as the play moves swiftly along, but these' are' better seen than described. Very ' much ;of the work devolves upon ■ Jlr-Frank Harvey as Brent, a . character- by ■ no means easy to fill. It is, indeed, a dual, part, inasmuch as Brent is one qlass, of man one moment and- another tl}6 next. To those who do not know him' in * his , true character he . is: the ~ insipid lounger ' with an eye-glass; dilatory 1 and dawdling,, and afflicted with a silly giggle. ..But the moment the coast is • dear for work he is full of alertness and alacrity, a vigorous determined man, with no semblance of effeminacy about him. Harvey's exposition of the character a remarkablyclever one. and left no room for being improved uoon. The rapid. and - constant ■ changes fie had :to make, in manner and deportment were never forgotten,, and ho took every advantage of opportunities;for a display of humour when circumstances vper- >■ mittcd., Another excellently-represented character was that of .John Preston,'- Mr Arthur Carnell portraying that ; individual : capitally. Mr Cornell let; everybody know when John Preston was about, and proclaimed that noisily-inclined gentleman's ideas with tremendous, emphasis, to the intense amusement of the audience. Miss Violet Paget was eminently satisfactory , as * Miriam Leigh, but. had ' only one real opportunity where she could maJce an impression. It. was in her scene with Molly towards the end of, the 1 play, and there .MSss Paget scored a signal success, and showed clearly that she is an actress of great, capability. Miss Dorothy Cumming played well as Molly Preston, and looked charming and dressed charmingly. Miss Stella Layter as Fraulein Schroeder. and Miss Emma Temple as Mrs Sanderson, did excellent work; ,and • Miss Tempe Pigott as Mi® Myrtle, and Miss Mattee Browne as Daphne Kidlington played small parts quite satisfactorily. Mr Austin Milroy- had a little more to do in the character of Carl Sanderson than- some other members of the company, and acquitted himself admirably. The sam 6 may be said of Mr Leslie Victor, who appeared as Fritz. Smaller parts were taken ;, by Messrs Kenneth Brampton and Charles . . Morse. Speaking of the performance as a whole, it may be said that there was; not, - a weak spot in it. . • • ; :■ " The Man. Who Stayed, at Homo " will ■, be repeated this evening. The season will be brought to a close on Monday; evening.